Bologna, Italy, September 22, 2018 – Slovenia and Brazil are set to meet for the first time in the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on Saturday.
Head-to-Head
• This is the first ever meeting between Slovenia and Brazil in a world level major tournament.
• World level major tournaments are Nations League, Olympic Games, World Championship, World Cup, World League and Grand Champions Cup.
Slovenia
• Slovenia won their first three World Championship first round matches, before losing the following two. On Friday, they were back to winning ways: 3-0 against Belgium.
• Slovenia could claim successive wins in straight sets for the first time at this World Championship. The previous time they achieved this at a world level tournament was in the 2017 World League against Netherlands and Japan in June 2017.
• Klemen Cebulj (17 points) and Mitja Gasparini (14) were the team's top scorers against Belgium.
• Tine Urnaut has scored 95 points for Slovenia at this World Championship.
• Jan Kozamernik scored 16 points from stuff blocks.
Brazil
• Brazil won four matches and lost one in the first round before adding a straight-sets win against Australia on Friday.
• Brazil have won at least one set in each of their last 23 World Championship matches, after losing 3-0 against Bulgaria in 2010.
• Brazil have lost only three of their last 23 matches at the World Championships, 3-2 against Poland in the 2014 third round, 3-1 against Poland in the 2014 final and 3-1 against Netherlands in the 2018 first round.
• Wallace De Souza needs to score one point to reach 100 points at this World Championship.